


Maximum Velocity

by Kraehenhexe



Category: The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Tokyo Mew Mew
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Bad Weather, Character Death, F/M, Freeform, Not Focused On Romance, Science Fiction, Tragic Romance, Young Adults, pretty lame story I'm sorry I had to say it, super storms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-03-16 17:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3496019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kraehenhexe/pseuds/Kraehenhexe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where Tokyo is threatened by an unnatural super storm, it's up to the M.E.W. team to figure out why and how this came to be.<br/>A loosely-based AU crossover between Tokyo Mew Mew and The Day After Tomorrow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Atmospheric Anomalies

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew or the characters whatsoever. If I did, Lettuce would get that cute relationship with Ryou she should've had, and there would be more Taruto/Pudding! I do not own the 'super storm' idea, it came from the movie The Day After Tomorrow. (I also don't know squat about weather tools and how to track storms; I'm sorry if most, if not all of this is inaccurate!)
> 
> M.E.W. = Metropolitan and Environs Weather (Service)

In the heart of Tokyo, Japan, technology was incredibly advanced for their era. Where most would think animation and digital media were the most progressed, it was in fact their weather resource workers who kept everything running faster and more efficiently. There were countless reporters and meteorologists working in the central building of the Japan National Weather Service, as well as scientists who took data from every natural phenomenon they could, be it land or sea. The more brave individuals who traveled into the heart of storms were an elite team who called themselves the M.E.W.s, who were compiled of ten people, five men and five women. They all shared the same concerns for their weakening environment, and strove to fight back and understand how to stop global warming. All had seen their fair share of freak natural disasters and didn't wish the situation onto anyone - so they worked as hard as they could day in and day out to solve the problems caused by humans

On the thirty-eighth floor of the JNWS building, the second closest floor to the roof, was where the M.E.W.s offices were located. Cubicles that had never been used were shoved along with useless desks and chairs against the wall, leaving the entire floor space open for their numerous computers, projection screens, inventions, and lab tables. The entire team had clocked in that day, an uncommon occurrence even as their bosses, Ryou Shirogane and Keiichiro Akasaka, made the majority of them be at work at least five days a week. They were all very serious about their work, but there was always time for jokes and relaxation. Only one M.E.W. took her job way too stiffly - aside from Akasaka, who was a weather guru but still liked to whip up some snacks for them during break.

Ichigo Momomiya had gotten her license barely a week after her eighteenth birthday. She had a love for meteorology ever since she was a little girl, and set her sites on working for the Weather Service. Hard work and intense testing had her excel and major in weather sciences, thus getting her her license and the ability to apply for a job. Her stubborn, determined attitude got her the position right away. First working as an intern, she managed to climb up to regular, 5:00-every-afternoon-on-this-one-channel weather reporter and keep it for a good several months. It was when her boss was debating on cutting her or not that she met Kisshu Ikisatashi and his younger brother Taruto, and caught their eyes with her skill. Seeing that where she was then wasn't up to par, they brought her to Ryou and asked if she could join their team. She was accepted, and became the sixth member of the M.E.W.S.

When she met them, it was only Akasaka, Shirogane, Kisshu, Taruto, and a sweet, clumsy pilot who later introduced herself as Lettuce Midorikawa. A short couple of months post her acceptance, Taruto's bubbly girlfriend Pudding became a M.E.W., along with a sarcastic ex-dancer named Mint Aizawa. Mint's best friend Zakuro joined close after Pai, Kisshu's elder brother, came from overseas with skills of his own. Ichigo had been working with them all for over two years now.

Ichigo loved her job but hated the paperwork, so she was doing everything she could early on in the day to have time to rest that afternoon. But even with her frenzied typing, she was achieving nothing other than smashing the keys too hard with her fingertips. Lost in thought as she went, she actually jumped a bit off her chair when someone tapped her shoulder. Turning in the awesome, comfy swivel chairs the elite team bought for themselves, she fixed the person with a sour frown. "What do you want, Mint?"

The shorter scientist sighed in clear irritation, shooting her an unimpressed look. "Seriously, Ichigo, you're going to break the keyboard again if you don't quit typing so fast." Seeing the red-haired woman about retort, she barreled on, "And it's time to leave. Shirogane said we could have the night off," Mint said.

Ichigo was reluctant to leave her warm chair, even as she stared with loathing at the thick stack of reports she needed to file. "But... all of my work..." she trailed off, voice almost childishly playful. "What about th-"

Mint glared at her. "No way, Momomiya, let's go," she said, grabbing Ichigo by the back of her suit jacket - Ichigo insisted on wearing it even though it wasn't cold in the office and it was casual dress - and yanked her out of the computer chair.

"Jerk," Ichigo mumbled. She twisted out of the blue-haired woman's grasp and stood upright, straightening out the wrinkles in her suit. "Let's get a coffee or something. I need something to keep me awake on the walk home," she grumbled. Mint walked at her side as they left the building, going out into the chilly winter breeze.

* * *

The rest of her evening passed by uneventfully, save for the near-constant wind that buffeted the cozy apartment Ichigo called home. The maps had picked up some irregular activity with the jet streams' natural currents, which was causing Japan's skyline to become cloudy as systems from the southeast pushed their way closer to the islands. Whereas Keiichiro expressed concern, Ichigo wasn't too worried about the weather. She slept peacefully all night, rest unbroken by the wind.

As morning rolled around, she fell into her usual routine of shower, dress, eat breakfast, then try to catch the early train to work. The walk to the station was difficult; overnight, the winds had kicked up into a fierce gale, easily pushing pedestrians to the ground with a harsh gust. The ocean was choppy, and grey clouds covered the sky, blotting out the sun. Ichigo spoke briefly with some passengers on the train about the incoming storm, but no one knew what was going on.

When she arrived, the office was in complete disarray - it looked like a bomb went off, or Pudding and Kisshu had another fight with the printers. A chair was toppled over and shoved beneath a discarded desk, also knocked on its side. The only workers there were Ryou, Akasaka, and Zakuro, but none were around. It seemed only the holographic projections in the center of the room were left untouched.

"Ichigo, Ichigo!"

 _Well, speak of the devil._ Zakuro called her name again, coming out from what Ichigo barely recognized to be Ryou's office. She turned to meet the older woman halfway, raising a brow in confusion. "What's up?" she asked.

"Do you remember the weather patterns we saw yesterday?" At Ichigo's nod, Zakuro showed her the files she had.

"!" Ichigo screeched wordlessly, grabbing the file from her purple-haired friend and scouring the pages intently. The papers were recordings of the Earth's atmosphere and weather correlation, each created an hour at a time overnight. None of the lines she saw were good. "Shit, shit, shit..." Ichigo cursed under her breath as she flipped through page after page. Zakuro pointed her to the holographs with each of the maps, standing next to her as she studied them.

After a long minute, the redhead glanced up at her friend. "When did you receive these?"

"About an hour ago, from Shirogane and Akasaka," Zakuro replied.

Ichigo's brow creased and she swore again, much louder. "Fuck!" Holding the file close, she strode past Zakuro, heading straight for Ryou's office. She stormed inside with the older woman close behind, glaring at him when he looked up.

"Can I help you, baka?" Ryou said impassively, going back to his paperwork.

The fiery girl almost hissed as walked up to the desk. "Shirogane, what the _hell_ is this thing?" she asked, slapping one of the satellite images from the file down in front of him. The picture contained what looked like a hurricane - one that had taken steroids and grown about three times the normal rate of a tropical storm.

Ryou studied the image in front of him for a brief moment before turning to the two women. "It appears to be some kind of super storm," he drawled, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

The flippant way her boss treated this development really got under Ichigo's skin, but she didn't lash out like normal. She sighed angrily and left the small office, ignoring Zakuro's calls. As she got to her computer, Mint and Lettuce walked up to her, Pudding tagging along behind them.

"What's going on, Ichigo?" Mint asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Akasaka just called us in; this place looks like a war zone." She looked around the office with thinly veiled distaste. Lettuce nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we heard you cursing a lot when we came through the door," Pudding said. "And we know that only happens when you're really ticked off at Shirogane."

Ichigo muttered something unintelligible. _Was I really that loud?_ She pressed her hands to her face, sighing into her palms. "You guys see the weird weather outside, right?" Without waiting for an answer, she barreled on, "There's a massive storm headed for Tokyo, and it's nothing ordinary. It packs a serious punch." She led the trio over to the holographs she'd been looking at earlier, letting them see the hurricane themselves.

Mint said something too quiet for them to hear, and Ichigo was sure she'd sworn colorfully at the sight. Pudding and Lettuce shared a look of horror and amazement. "How can something like that exist?" the bespectacled scientist asked, looking to Ichigo.

She could only shrug. Footsteps were soon heard, and the four women turned to see the Ikisatashi brothers enter the office. "Did you guys see the reports?" Kisshu asked, coming to stand next to the girls. They too looked up at the projected maps, completely amazed.

"Yes!" Ichigo said in exasperation. "From what little research I can gather, there's not much to say. None of this is making any sense to me..." She trailed off, glancing through the file in her hands again.

Pai stared at the maps, shaking his head. "Damn," he muttered, "look at the size of that puppy..."


	2. Hello Darkness My Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if it's clear, but everyone's a human in this story. Same looks and same attitudes, but there aren't any Mews or Aliens! Also, if you really squint, there's some Kichigo in this chapter. Brace yourselves for feels - I said this would get intense quickly.
> 
> Hope you like the action!

Reveling with this new information, the M.E.W.s broke off to converse among themselves. Ichigo busied herself by calling in to the National Weather Service and explaining what they had found. Several tense minutes passed before she finally hung up with a sigh. "The word's out now," she called, drawing the others' attention.

A loud gasp from Pudding had everyone looking over at her. "This hurricane is way too big to be traveling so quickly!" she exclaimed. She stood at the center console with Taruto, reading an information screen. "With such a huge area to cover, it should be going only twenty-something miles an hour, but..." The blonde woman shook her head in disbelief. "It says here the recorded speed was over sixty..."

"Which means it'll be here within a day or two," came Ryou's voice, making them all turn. He approached them, Keiichiro lagging behind as he leafed through a report. "Clearly someone, somewhere on this planet, fucked up and released something into the atmosphere, resulting in that behemoth you've all seen on the maps." He met each of their eyes with the strong seriousness he had whenever danger threatened. "It's worse than it looks. Without a doubt, Japan will be ripped to shreds when it hits."

Mint put her hands on her hips, a sour look on her face. "How are we supposed to prepare for _that_? There's no time to evacuate the populace; we would need three days, at the very least!" she huffed, glaring past the blond man to the windows, where rain pattered heavily against the glass. Even from deep inside the office, they could hear the wind roaring past the tower, and could see the waves pounding against the beach.

"The best we can do is find out as much as we can, and pass on the information," he replied. "Which is why some of you will accompany Ichigo on the test plane."

The redhead bit her cheek to keep from protesting. It was good to get experience, and she certainly wasn't afraid. But the super-hurricane was just... really intimidating. Of all the people in Tokyo, she didn't want to be one headed straight for its heart. _Maybe I should've called in sick today... why do I have to go?!_

She was pulled from her thoughts when Kisshu walked over to her side, saying "I'll go for it." When Ichigo looked at him uncertainly, he flashed her a warm smile. "Don't be so worried over this. I'm with ya every step of the way, I-chi-go," he said playfully, patting the top of her head.

Mint joined them, checking over her nails with an unreadable expression. When she felt Ichigo's eyes on her, she heatedly glared back. "What?" she snapped, and gestured at herself. " _Someone_ has to watch over you two."

Her snark made the older woman grin and shake her head. "Is anyone else coming?" she asked. In the short time she'd spent thinking over possible back-up choices, the others had more or less returned to what they'd been doing - poring over the satellite images and holographs.

The blue-haired scientist nodded. "Lettuce is, she'll come over here soon. Shirogane pulled her aside," as she spoke, Mint pointed towards their boss's office, where Ryou and Lettuce whispered to one another. Words were exchanged and then Ryou embraced her, pressing his face into her hair. He kissed her on the cheek and said something in her ear as he let her go. She nodded once before turning and making her way over to the trio, sadness in her lowered gaze.

When she reached them, the redhead put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to come, Lettuce?" Ichigo asked gently.

Lettuce seemed to perk herself up, looking to each of them. "It's alright, thank you. Besides, you need a pilot, don't you?" She offered Ichigo a bright smile. "I'm fine, please don't worry yourselves!"

She wasn't going to speak about it, so they chose to drop the matter. Ichigo got everyone's attention. "Kisshu, Mint, and Lettuce are coming with me. Pai, you stay close by and gather the info we send you. Everybody else, do what Shirogane says." She flashed them all a huge grin, clapping her hands together. "Let's go, everyone!"

* * *

Behind the J.N.W.S. building, there was an airstrip closed from public use that was kept for outings like these. Certified pilots would take scientists into the center of the action, using their skills to get the best readings possible without risking their safety. Lettuce was the M.E.W.s only pilot, but she had experience in the field. Everyone trusted she would take them in and out without a hitch.

The four braved the nasty weather as they ran about the plane, checking and double-checking to make sure everything was ready to go. It wasn't long before they took their places inside, and Lettuce began to guide their small aircraft out of the hangar. Ichigo sat in the co-pilot's seat, talking to the others through the intercom system. "How's everything, Kisshu?"

"It's all clear!" he called back.

"Alright then..." Ichigo turned down the volume as she glanced over the controls in front of her. "Fuel gauge, check. Engines, check. Safety equipment, _double check_." She switched the headset back on again, "Is the ballot all set?"

"Good to go!"

Ichigo nodded to Lettuce, giving her the OK. "Strap yourselves in, and watch the ballot!"

"Take off in T-10," Lettuce called, flicking up several switches.

Mint and Kisshu quickly sat down in the vacant benches against the sides of the plane, clipping on the thick seat belts. "Seven, six..."

Ichigo switched on a small screen on an open space in the dashboard, switching the Earth map to a radar, and input the coordinates of the hurricane.

"Three... two... one..." Lettuce gripped the shift tightly as she counted down. " _Launch!_ " she cried, shoving the gear forwards.

Their aircraft sped down the landing strip at as fast as Lettuce dared, breaking contact from the concrete with a loud screech. The plane was tossed around as soon as they were airborne. Lettuce fought to keep control and gain headway in the strong winds while the other M.E.W.s held onto their seats. With great difficulty did the green-haired pilot force their plane above the clouds, taking welcome help from the occasional thermal to keep them aloft. Just below them, dark grey clouds covered all of Tokyo as far as they could see.

"Altitude levels are lower than normal? Something might be up with the gauge..." Lettuce switched the controls to automatic and sat back a little, fingers already working at a palm-sized screen to her left. Ichigo watched from over her shoulder as the elder woman worked. "Ichigo, I'm not sure about this 'mission'."

"It'll be okay, Lettuce! In and out, just a quick read," the redhead offered reassuringly, a shaky smile on her face. It was obvious to both of them she was nervous too. Ichigo cleared her throat after a moment's silence and turned up the headset again. "You guys okay back there?" she asked.

Mint's voice was dry as she replied, "Just fine, thank you very much. Nothing like a flight through a thunderstorm to really kill someone's stomach." Kisshu's laughter crackled through the receiver, and the sound of a slap echoed back.

Ichigo smiled to herself as she looked out of the window again, watching the storm below. Rising moisture was fogging up the glass, and if they drifted close enough, she could see forks of lightning shooting out of the clouds. The sight of only the beginning of the freak weather made the meteorologist uneasy. Only the sound of the engines whirring and the tiny beeps coming from the radar filled the cockpit, and Ichigo forced herself to relax.

Time passed with little event as they made their way towards the tropical cell's current location. Even from miles away, the M.E.W.s could easily make out the white spiral that was the hurricane, slowly rotating its way across the Pacific. As they neared the storm, each member on board felt their hearts rise in their throats in anticipation. Ichigo was the most frazzled, but a smile from Lettuce made her calm down a tiny bit. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, looking on as they reached the outside edge of the wall.

The receiver produced a lot of static as the sounds of movement came across the headset, signifying Kisshu and Mint readying the ballot for departure. "What's up?" Ichigo called.

"Nothing - ballot's ready to go! Waiting for your mark," Kisshu answered.

Ichigo looked to Lettuce, who nodded firmly. "Alright, send it out!" she ordered.

The plane jerked a little off-kilter as Mint opened the side hatch, holding tightly to the door's handle as air pulled roughly at the inside of the cabin. She and Kisshu struggled not to get sucked off their feet as they swung the ballot out into open space, watching for a few moments as it fell rapidly and disappeared into the mass of dark clouds swarming underneath them. Lettuce changed gears back into manual control and took full command as they flew into the hurricane head-on. Before the storm swallowed them up, the two scientists managed to close the door without losing hold of the deployed ballot. Ichigo left the cockpit and made her way back to where Mint and Kisshu sat on the floor, looking battered but no worse for wear.

They looked up when she entered the cabin and she gave them a bright smile, flashing a thumbs-up. "We're doing good, guys," she said happily. The two nodded wearily, but both were content. The red-haired woman glanced down at the tablet in her hand, studying the radar on the thin screen. "We should have a reading soon, then we'll get out of this storm," she explained. As she spoke, the plane jerked again, almost making Ichigo lose her balance if Kisshu hadn't reached out and grabbed her arm. She thanked him and was about to continue when Lettuce's voice crackled through the com. system.

" _Ichigo, please hurry!_ "

She ran back into the cabin, slamming the door a little hard when she entered. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Lettuce pointed at the satellite screen in front of her, then at the window. "There's another plane out there," she said. "They just crossed the scanners." Her eyes stayed focused on the path ahead of her, and she didn't turn to look at the other woman.

Ichigo picked up the headset once more and took her seat, tuning the device to the other plane's frequency. When she got a signal, she called in. "Hello, foreign aircraft. Who are you, and what is your business?" she inquired, voice full of authority.

The one who answered nearly made Ichigo fall out of her chair in surprise. _"The same purpose as you. Shirogane sent us out here as well,"_ Pai's voice came through the speakers. Dimly the two could make out Taruto's voice in the background, chattering about something to someone else. _"Zakuro stayed at the station with Pudding; she's getting the information instead."_

Lettuce's eyes widened as Ichigo angrily smacked her hand against the controls before her. "That bastard!" she screeched, not caring that she hadn't turned off the receiver. "He shouldn't have sent anyone else out besides us, damn it!" Abruptly she stood and left the cabin, roughly tossing the headset to Lettuce, who caught it and put it on.

A very loud, shrill beeping came from the radar next to her hands. Lettuce looked over at it and saw a red light flashing closer and closer to their plane, seeming to come from their right side. Clouds covered them all around, making it extremely difficult to see even as rain pounded the hull and lightning flared up every which way. The beeping grew louder and more urgent as the light came nearer, and Lettuce struggled to see where it was coming from. She let out a sudden scream as a dark shape flew into her line of sight, the clouds parting around it to reveal the other M.E.W.s plane careening right for them. Her hands flung out to the side and the plane followed suit, wheeling around to fly almost horizontally with the other plane. But the movement was not enough; even as Pai streaked beneath her and barely dodged the underside of their plane, he flew straight into the line connected to the ballot. The device was caught inside their engines and the right one exploded in a fiery ball, trailing black smoke as the aircraft went down, far out of Lettuce's view.

They weren't out of the woods yet. The catch dragged them backwards, sending their propellers into reverse and stalling the engines. The plane wobbled and fell back into its original flight pattern, but the only thing keeping them up was the winds that flung their plane around like a plastic toy. The bespectacled pilot struggled to regain control, but the engines refused to start up again. She was frantically starting to send out a mayday when she heard the long, droning cry of the ballot's satellite blending with the 'danger' alert that continued its piercing shrieks. Ichigo was still in the cabin, and Lettuce needed _someone_ , experienced or not. Freaking out over the gears that would not respond to her, the woman finally lost all control over the aircraft, and with no seconds to spare.

The remaining line, still attached to the plane despite the ballot being ripped off, whipped around the side of the plane as it tilted forwards, falling into a nosedive as the engines failed completely. The metal cable smashed up and into the front window, showering Lettuce with glass. The cable struck her across the chest, making something inside crack painfully and forcing the air from her lungs. She gasped for breath, staring with dumbstruck horror out of the gaping hole that used to be the front of the plane.

More electronic beeping filled the cockpit as the oxygen masks deployed, plopping down with unhelpful lightness into the pilot's lap. Lettuce scrabbled to grab it and press it over her nose and mouth, but it didn't inflate as it should have. The altitude had little to no oxygen already, and deprived of a working mask, she could only feebly pull at the cable before she slowly suffocated. She died there on the pilot's seat.

* * *

There was a sudden scream from the cockpit, followed closely by a loud crash. Everyone cried out as the plane lurched, the sound of tearing metal and the acrid stench of smoke filling the cabin. They were thrown to the floor when it dipped into an almost vertical nosedive, tossed about much like wet clothes in the spin cycle as the storm flung their small aircraft to and fro. Too much was happening at once for anyone to understand; in a second Ichigo saw Kisshu strapping an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose before reaching across the aisle to Mint, who was pushed against a row of seats in a crumpled heap. The next moment they were smashed against the overhead compartments and she was certain she was knocked out.

It was only for a handful of seconds before she came to, sucking in tiny breaths to get oxygen flowing to her brain. Something warm stuck to the back of her head and she gingerly touched it, her breath coming harsher as her fingers came away with clotting blood. As if from far away she heard someone speaking quickly, like a chant. Mint had stuck herself between a few seats and was praying in a hurried, almost sobbing cry, reciting the words as she pressed her clasped hands to her chest. Kisshu was nowhere in sight.

In the midst of their quickening free fall, Ichigo managed to pull herself to her feet, clutching at her mask and the seats for support as she staggered into the cockpit. The first two things she noticed were the shattered window and the asphyxiated woman collapsed in the seat, her face tinged blue and a thick stripe spreading across her chest where blood soaked through a gaping wound. Then she saw the ocean - the massive, dark blur that was heading for them at breakneck speed.

Ichigo was not a pilot.

She was a meteorologist, one who ventured out on foot but never rode head-on into the action. She had so little experience in this field and was most certainly not the best candidate to help. But she had to do something.

Words left her mouth before she thought of them as she pulled Lettuce away from the controls, laying her none too gently against the door leading into the small room. She took over the controls and locked in the wheel, grabbing a small lever to her right and yanking it all the way down. One of the others - Kisshu, she thought, but she couldn't tell - stumbled into the room and took Lettuce by her arms, taking her back to the main cabin. The screech of their failing engine drowned out any noise aside from the thunderous wind.

The plane let out a loud, high-pitched wail as they shot downwards, still stuck in the malfunctioning autopilot. Ichigo wrapped her bloodied hands around the wheel and pulled back as hard as she could, all the while desperate pleas spilling from her lips. _Please, please work! I don't wanna die, I don't want any more of us to die. Please, God, make this forsaken hunk of metal pull up! Pull up, damn it!_ Panicked, frustrated ears threatened to overtake her and she shook her head fiercely for the briefest second, swallowing around the thick lump in her throat and focusing all of her willpower on forcing the aircraft to fly right and get them out of the storm's wall.

Then, as if a hand had taken them and straightened them out, the plane swerved and caught on an unnatural thermal, the hot air shoving them down and away from the blustering tropical storm. Strong gusts knocked them around like a bad roller coaster ride and Ichigo tasted bile more than once. But the storm seemed finished with them; heated air pushed them closer to the ocean and farther from the swirling clouds. At this low altitude (a mere 2,260ft), oxygen came easier to the M.E.W.s and the weather became tolerable, if not helpful as the engines roared back to life. She maneuvered the plane lower as she began to steady her breathing, the erratic beat of her heart still thumping in her chest as she stared out of the broken window.

A sudden burst of static came from the radio, startling the red-haired woman from her musings. She fumbled with the controls until she hit the 'autopilot' switch before picking up the discarded headset and hooking it into the speakers. "Hello? Contact?" she tentatively called through the mouthpiece. She watched the sky around her with bated breath.

 _"...chi...los...g...nal..."_ Crackled the radio, a garbled mess she couldn't figure out. _"...ode...ven...se...n...oh...oh..."_

Frowning, Ichigo spoke again. "Please repeat?"

 _"...ode...ven...se...n...oh...oh..."_ There was no denying that was Pai's voice on the opposite receiver.

 _Code 7700: When the pilot declares an emergency and the aircraft is not radar identified._ "What is your location?" Ichigo asked, trying not to panic again. She hadn't seen the others' plane go down, but she knew at least one of their engines had exploded in their collision. It would be a miracle if the two had gotten out without more than a few injuries.

There was a pause before any response came, long enough that the woman briefly thought she'd lost contact with them. "Agat...tu...land."

Agattu Island was to the northeast, bordering the Bering Sea. They'd been thrown way off course in the tropical storm. Determination darkening her brow, Ichigo input the coordinates for the Russian island and took manual control once again, veering off their homeward bound route as fast as she dared. She could only pray she would be able to get there in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please keep in mind that this is a fanfiction, and therefore nothing here can possibly happen in real life (that I know of). So if the M.E.W.S. get out fine and dandy, it's not because that's how it should have happened! (oh no, please. everyone wouldn't be here and there would be no story. just a one-shot of Pai and Taruto living on a deserted island trying to survive the super cell. xD) The story must go on, so almost everyone lives.
> 
> Someone tell me if it's okay that I put Ichigo's last scene POV here? I feel like it should've started the third chapter, but I don't know. And I want to know if Mint was actually religious? I know Zakuro was to a degree, but I don't think the storyline covered much of the other Mews' views. Don't mean to tread on little toes if some of you believe she's agnostic or something other than Christian - I just wanted her to be freaking out, y'know?  
> Also the next chapter will probably make you guys sad, it's a cruddy discontinuation for a half-decent story (IMO). Angst and feels: it's what I thrive on. c;


	3. Vale Soror Lactuca

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the team recovers Pai and Taruto, they return home ahead of the storm and hold a funeral for their fallen comrade. Mint and Ichigo have a talk while the M.E.W.S. grieve and prepare for the inevitable collision with Hurricane Aparajita.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner! I completely forgot about AO3, thus I forgot about updating. Here's the long-awaited final installment in Maximum Velocity. It's mostly angst and feels, not sorry 'bout that! However, the chapter may seem rushed somehow, and I really do apologize for that. This is where my drive died all those years ago, and present!me can only add so much without knowing my original train of thought. I can only hope I didn't leave you guys with a serious cliffhanger! I tried my best ^_^;  
> There's one-sided Pai/Lettuce in this chapter! The title means "Farewell, our sister Lettuce" in Latin.

Agattu Island was difficult to see in the mass of dark clouds that separated it from the tropical storm just miles away. By a stroke of luck, Ichigo managed to land gracelessly on a sandy plateau several dozen yards from the wreckage of Pai's plane. He and Taruto had already evacuated and stood some ways off, waving their arms to catch Ichigo's attention. As they approached, the two men descended the rocks, hurrying through the torrential rain toward the aircraft. The silver emergency hatch above the right wing swung open, smacking against the hull with a loud thud. Kisshu stepped out from the opening onto the rain-slick surface, carefully tossing a rope ladder over the side and lowering it to the ground.

"Come on!" he yelled, watching his brothers slide through the mud unsuccessfully.

Taruto reached the ladder first and climbed up as fast as he dared. He lost his footing more than once and had to be grabbed by Kisshu to make it onto the wing. Pai came behind at a slower pace, struggling not to drop the duffel bag he had slung over his shoulder. Both brothers helped him up and kept him steady as they entered the plane. Taruto took the bag and laid it on a seat as Pai slumped the wall, his head lolling to the side to watch Kisshu close the emergency door before leaning heavily against it, his breath coming in shaky pants.

In the light of the main cabin they could see each other clearly; Pai was startled to see a deep cut above Kisshu's eyebrow, the fresh wound bleeding so heavily that the green-haired scientist couldn't keep one eye open. An arm cradled itself over his abdomen, held in an awkward way that the eldest brother figured it was injured. Pai knew he must have a concussion from the crash landing he'd done after they nearly collided with Ichigo's plane. With much effort he turned his head to look around, vision swimming as the vertigo hit him hard. Taruto stood a couple feet from him, fingers flying over a virtual keyboard as he texted someone, most likely Pudding from the way his mouth was set in a grim half-smile. He could see Mint a few seats away, sitting with her back to them as she bent over someone partially hidden behind the armchairs. With a shock Pai realized who it was - there was only one person who had left the J.N.W.S. building in a dark green jumpsuit.

_"Lettuce!"_

He was lurching to his feet before he knew it, stumbling down the aisle to Mint's side to see for himself what had happened. The very sight of Lettuce, lying eerily still with her grey pallor and glassy stare, it made his heart thud painfully in his chest. "What... how?" he asked. He couldn't raise his voice above a whisper. He looked over his shoulder to Kisshu, his face twisted with anguish. "How did she die?"

The younger Ikisatashi didn't meet his brother's gaze. "Asphyxiation. When your plane hit our ballot, the cable broke through the windshield and she lost all oxygen." His voice grew softer, hating himself for what he had to admit. "There wasn't any way to... to revive her. I'm sorry, Pai." The elder said nothing, his face carefully blank as he turned back to the woman's body. Beside him, Mint sobbed into her knees, her hand clasped tightly around Lettuce's cold hand.

"Three out of four present... where's Ichigo?" Taruto asked Kisshu, looking away from the grieving scientists. His eyes were wet too, but he wouldn't cry yet.

The green-haired man pointed at the pilot cabin just as Ichigo walked out, looking frazzled but altogether without serious injury. Her expression softened at the sight of Pai and Taruto safely inside the cabin, some worry lifted from her shoulders. She was somber as she went over to Mint, gazing down at Lettuce's body. "She's gone, isn't she," she murmured, a statement, not a question.

Mint didn't meet her eyes. "Yeah." The raven kept herself together for a few moments before she broke and sobbed into her hands, the only sound in the room. Ichigo placed a hand on the woman's shoulder in an attempt to console her, her own eyes welling with tears. Silence fell over the scientists as the reality of Lettuce's death struck them hard.

But no matter what happened, they were on a time crunch and no one could stop to mourn. Kisshu reluctantly broke the quiet, sniffling loudly into his elbow before he spoke. "We need to get out of here. Ryou's waiting for us back at the office and we've left Zakuro hanging for almost an hour," he said. He held out his hand to Pai, who took it and rose from his slump on the floor.

Ichigo nodded and returned to the pilot's cabin, asking Pai to come with her. He followed at a much slower pace, stopping beside Mint. He knelt down and took Lettuce's hand, holding it gently as he gazed upon her. A moment passed and he pressed a chaste kiss to her fingers, mouthing something unintelligible against them before folding the limb across her stomach.

When he joined Ichigo in the cabin, she offered him a tiny, sympathetic smile before she turned to the switchboard. The red-haired woman had seen Lettuce prep and start an aircraft so many times, she could probably do most of the work with her eyes closed. The familiar hum of the engines greeted her as she checked everything for safety and functionality. Seeing it was good to go, she told Pai to strap himself in and put on the headset.

"The plane seems to be running fine, and we're not able to fly high enough to get over the storm, so this gigantic hole in the windshield shouldn't be too much of a bother," she said. After receiving a _"copy that"_ from Kisshu, she set the plane in motion. It rolled across the plateau, bouncing and jerking as they hit dips in the earth. Their takeoff went smoothly, their flight path skimming the violent ocean. In a handful of hours, they would return.

It was a long, silent trip home.

* * *

The funeral service was a small, private affair held at the Midorikawa family cemetery. Only Lettuce's close family and friends were invited, and the ceremony was brief. Many more tears were shed as they watched the open casket lowered into the waiting grave, and they shared a few moments before the lid was closed. Kisshu recounted Lettuce's first days as a pilot and her one flight with him; Ichigo and Mint told of when they had gotten stranded in the middle of nowhere and she had to rescue them from wild animals; Pudding shared a time where she was having difficulty preparing for an important date and Lettuce saved her from a fashion disaster. It got a couple of smiles from the other girls. Zakuro and Taruto hadn't known her well enough, but they said a little in recognition. Pai was unable to come forward. He had been the closest to Lettuce, and her death had torn him apart. He could only shake his head when they asked him to speak, tears shining on his cheeks.

After Lettuce's parents and younger brother said a few words in her memory, Ryou came up to the podium. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked awful, but he held himself together in front of those in attendance, clearing his throat to try and calm himself. "I knew Lettuce for almost seven years," he said, "and every single moment I spent with her was amazing. When we first met through business, she was incredibly timid and polite, always zipping around to complete her studies. She had a dream to fly around the world, helping people she came across in any way she could. When she passed her pilot's exam, I remember her running into the office yelling "Ryou! Ryou, I did it!" I don't think she ever looked so happy as she did then in her life."

The blond had tears on his face, and his voice broke a couple of times, but he didn't stop. "Lettuce meant everything to me. She was a strong, beautiful, independent woman with intelligence that beat me on my best days. She loved everyone and had more room in her heart to share than anyone I've met. Lettuce touched so many people during her life, all of whom became her friends along the way. I have never known a kinder person to walk this earth."

He left the podium and walked around the open grave, stopping beside the headstone and looking into the casket at Lettuce's face. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks were rosy, carrying some life in them despite the heavy atmosphere. With a small smile, Ryou leaned down and touched her forearm, fingers brushing her skin for but a moment before he pulled back. "I wish I could tell you that I'm not ready to let you go, but you've already left us. My words won't physically reach you, but I know you'll hear them from that cloud castle in the sky," he said softly. His eyes were wet again, salty tears coming fresh. "I love you, Lettuce Midorikawa."

* * *

Rain poured endlessly from the thick clouds, covering Tokyo in a blanket of grey as the first part of the super cell — Hurricane Aparajita, as the United States dubbed it — made contact with the islands. It drove the denizens into their homes for safety as waves crashed against the shore and strong winds kicked up something fierce. Japan was right in the center of the storm's path, and within another day and a half would be engulfed in a weather anomaly of catastrophic proportions. Specified shelters weren't of any use for something quite like this, so the populace huddled in mass numbers in concrete parking garages, office buildings, and their houses to wait the storm out.

The weather service was having troubles of their own. Many workers had left to be with family during the crisis, and others had taken to evacuation. Their national announcement declared everyone able to evacuate the islands as the hurricane advanced. Only a couple of people stayed within the weather tower, wanting to broadcast the current state of the storm to those still in Japan. The remaining members of M.E.W. worked night and day to keep the country updated, but with faulty equipment and weather too dangerous for field reporters to step in, it was a slow and difficult job.

From their high point in the weather tower, they could overlook the entire city of Tokyo with a single glance. Behind the thick, supposedly storm-proof glass windows, Mint stared down at the dense clouds, trying to see some part of the city from that height (to no avail). The downpour was intense and obscured her view, but she kept gazing out of the window, her mind elsewhere.

She, along with Pai and Ryou had been hit hardest by Lettuce's passing, and each were going through their respective stages of recovery. Pai forced himself to come to work each day, and Mint herself struggled to get up in the morning, but neither were quite as affected as Ryou was. He couldn't leave his room at home; Keiichiro showed up in his place, saying that "when a songbird dies, its lover grieves until death or solace". They were able to work without him, but it was all the more taxing without the genius there to supervise.

Cool air washed over her as someone came up beside her, following her line of sight down to the city below. Mint didn't need to look up to know it was Ichigo. The usually exuberant redhead had been doing her best to lighten everyone's mood and divert their attention away from Lettuce. She took it upon herself to do most of the grunt work as Pai and Mint proved to be almost completely useless in their distanced state. Keiichiro and Zakuro helped her as best as they could, but Ichigo handled pretty much everything on her own.

Something warm was pushed against her hand and Mint took it without looking, wrapping her fingers around it. She looked down and saw a brown Starbucks coffee cup in her hands, filled close to the brim with a light brown liquid, coated in a thin layer of white foam. Mint shot Ichigo a questioning look, the younger woman smiling in response.

"I couldn't find any open tea shops close by, and I know you enjoy your homemade brand more. That's hot chocolate," she said, before taking a sip of her own drink. "I got an Irish coffee. I need to stay awake." They watched as lightning forked across the sky, illuminating a small portion of the building. The sudden light made them squint, shielding their eyes from the brightness.

Nursing her cocoa, Mint regarded her friend from the corner of her eye. "Thank you for this," she murmured, gesturing with the coffee cup.

"You're welcome."

The sound of rain drumming against the glass was soothing, and they lapsed into silence, enjoying each others' company. Moments like these, where they were able to just stop and let things simmer down for a little while, didn't come easily anymore. The hurricane took up the majority of their time and forced them to move past everything with no time to grieve. Protecting Japan and warning them of what the future would bring was their highest priority.

Mint tightened the grip on her cup, her brow narrowed in thought.  _Nothing so drastic has formed in the Pacific Ocean for decades._ Reports had shown them the most prominent birthplace of tropical storms was in the Atlantic, close to the equator. What storms did form in the Pacific were barely more than strong thunderstorms, with only cases of wind and property damage. And as far as humanity knew, they hadn't caused another influx in ozone pollution. _So why now?_

"Mint?" The blue-haired woman was startled from her musings when Ichigo gently called her name. She looked up at the meteorologist and saw the worry clearly written on her face. "You were out of it. Are you doing okay?" Ichigo asked.

She stared at the other woman with a blank expression for several seconds, before she suddenly cracked a tiny smile and nodded her head. "Yes, I'm 'better', if that's the word to describe it," Mint replied. "Granted that it's been less than a week since Lettuce's funeral, I feel like I'm on the verge of crying almost every minute of the day." She set her cup down on one of the satellite monitors to her left and crossed her arms over her stomach. "Seiji came to see me two days ago. He couldn't stay long, but he heard about her passing and wanted to offer condolences. He asked if I needed anything, I said no." Her smile grew sad, her gaze returning to the storm outside. "He's scared for us."

"How come? We've dealt with stuff before just fine!" Ichigo exclaimed, a bit too loudly for the quiet office.

Mint sighed. "Yes, we have, but this? This is  _insane_." She shook her head, as if denying the possibility of a storm with such cataclysmic proportions. "Seiji was angry that I went with you guys on the plane in the first place. I set him straight, but he was upset. 'I could have lost you!' was what he said." Her expression was troubled as she remembered their awful fight that evening. Both of them had said nasty things they could probably take back, but it was rare for her brother to show any emotion other than cold determination and complete boredom. She knew her line of work was potentially dangerous, but he had never voiced an opinion on her career other than a 'congratulations' and an 'I'm happy for you'.

Ichigo smiled. "He cares about you. If I didn't know we had to broadcast Hurricane Aparajita to the nation, I would have evacuated with my parents," she said. Mint was never good at keeping her true feelings in check; the redhead could easily see the battle she was fighting with herself. Having been the one to drag them into an emotional conversation, she decided to direct it elsewhere. "Did he leave Japan?"

"Yes. He boarded a flight to America the morning after," answered Mint. "I wasn't allowed to see him off, but he promised to visit once the hurricane blows over." She picked her hot chocolate up and took a long drink from it, not minding the scalding liquid on her tongue. "He told me to keep myself safe and evacuate should the situation call for it." She glanced at Ichigo from over the cup, "You should too."

The red-haired meteorologist grinned. "When it hits, I'm going to the parking garage under the building. I'll wait it out there, but until then, my duty is to my coworkers and my country!" she retorted, giving Mint a thumbs-up. "If it tries to take me down, I'm not going without a fight. Yosh!" With that, she bid Mint farewell and left the office, waving as she disappeared around the corner.

"I don't know where she gets all that energy..." the older woman sighed as she returned to her desk, taking a seat in front of her computer. "Best to follow her lead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From henceforth on, this story shall be on permanent discontinuation. I'm sorry if some of you enjoyed the story enough to want more, but my motivation for this story is just terrible and you can't expect good things to come from it. I'm also sorry if the funeral service seemed too short; I read a lot on Wikipedia about Japanese funerals and ceremonies and I couldn't really incorporate it into the story. I wanted sadness, not an overload of facts.  
> I hope Ryou's speech was a fitting eulogy out of the countless ones I thought of that didn't work out. Further, I didn't intend for Mint and Ichigo's discussion to last so long, but I wanted some sad(ish) dialogue and some Seiji reference since he's gr8 and I really like him.
> 
> Thank you for sticking around! I'm glad this story has gotten some attention, no matter how small it may be. Anything is good enough for me~!
> 
> Ja ne!


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